Prenatal diagnosis can provide information to parents about specific fetal disorders. However, invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures are associated with risks to the fetus. This study will compare the safety and effectiveness of two methods of invasive prenatal diagnosis: amniocentesis and transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TA CVS).

Further study details as provided by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD):

Estimated Enrollment:

6400

Study Start Date:

September 1996

Estimated Study Completion Date:

August 2000

Detailed Description:

Amniocentesis is generally performed at 105 to 125 days post last menstrual period (LMP) and TA CVS at 63 to 76 days post LMP. This study will compare the safety and accuracy of transabdominal amniocentesis and TA CVS, each performed during the same modified gestational age window of 77 to 104 days post LMP.

Healthy, pregnant women at 77 to 104 days gestation, whose only indication for prenatal diagnosis is advanced maternal age of at least 34 years at enrollment, will be randomized to receive either TA CVS or amniocentesis following a baseline ultrasound. Eligible women who refuse randomization or for whom a procedure cannot be scheduled by 104 days will also be followed. Primary outcomes include fetal loss or preterm delivery before 196 days gestation as well as total fetal loss, amniotic fluid loss, gestational age at delivery, perinatal morbidity, neonatal morbidity, and congenital abnormalities, including limb reduction defects. Success in obtaining a diagnosis from the two procedures will be compared. One ancillary study will evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as a rapid diagnostic method for certain cytogenetic abnormalities; another will collect data on amniotic fluid alphafetoprotein and acetylcholinesterase for the diagnosis of neural tube defects.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

34 Years to 60 Years (Adult)

Genders Eligible for Study:

Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Singleton pregnancy confirmed by baseline ultrasound

At least 77 days gestation but not more than 104 days gestation confirmed by baseline ultrasound

Exclusion Criteria

Evidence of "vanishing" twin

Bleeding equivalent to a menstrual period at any time during this pregnancy

Dating inconsistency: if the estimated gestation is 8 or more days less than estimated by LMP, the patient is excluded unless interval growth by ultrasound confirms the normalcy of the pregnancy

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00065897

Sponsors and Collaborators

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)